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Culture
Food & Beverages Due to the lack of agricultural space, livestock farming is rare outside of the wealthy Dawn and Dusk stations. The majority of meat comes from cloned cells, which is effectively identical to "real" meat but lacks the ability for variance from the animal's diet and treatment. Meat from real animals is a controversial delicacy and seen by some as barbaric or inhumane. Textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu, and mycoprotein fungus are common substitutes for meat and dairy, augmented with nutritional yeast and micronutrients to ensure a balanced diet. Imitation meat can be made from wheat and potato protein augmented with heme for better resemblance to ground beef. Common seasonings are soy sauce and liquid aminos. Because of the lack of "real" meat, the typical diet for an average middle or lower class worker consists of soy and fungus products, grains like rice and barley, vegetables, and fruit; most fruit is grown for local consumption due to the cost of interplanetary transport of perishables, with imported fruit often coming in cheaper dried form. Many fruits, vegetables, and grains have been genetically modified to improve their nutritional content, such as golden rice (which naturally produces beta-carotene) and protato (a cross of potato and amaranth with higher protein content). Water is recycled from every possible source, including the sewage systems; the ensuing water is completely pure and may be augmented with minerals by the distribution system for health and to improve taste. On Earth, most outdoor homes have moisture condensers for retrieving water from the atmosphere. The most common alcoholic beverage is sachi, made from fermented soy whey left over from soy milk production. This forms a drink that looks similar to white wine and has about 7 to 8% alcohol by volume and a fruity, floral flavor. This can be distilled into sachi vodka for harder liquor. Sachi and sachi vodka can have a variety of flavors added, from fruity or sweet flavors to artificial flavors and colors imitating other drinks like beer, whiskey, and wine. Real versions of these drinks made from grains and fruit are far more expensive due to their cost relative to the base material's potential food value. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate remain popular beverages, but most people have to consume them in freeze-dried or other preserved forms due to space transport weight and cost. A popular soft drink is Mixo, which has a microdose dispenser in the cap to allow the user to mix up to 7 different flavors into their drink before opening it. Molecular gastronomy is extremely popular thanks to technological advances that make it easier to perform. Liquid nitrogen freezing, the spherification of juices, foams, carbonation, anti-griddles, and other scientific manipulation of food provide more variety for a diet that could otherwise be somewhat restricted. Wealthy households and restaurants may purchase an autocooker that can automatically assemble meals from inserted ingredients and perform these techniques for no effort on the part of the user. Food serving methods vary depending on location, as gravity greatly affects whether or not certain types of food and containers are viable. Space stations, Earth, and Venus are freely able to use any standard method of serving (such as plates, bowls, and cups) due to the strong gravity, though on space stations the Coriolis Effect must be taken into account to avoid accidentally pouring next to a glass. Because of their low gravity, colonists on Luna, Io, Pluto, and Mars must eat in a fashion similar to their 21st century ancestors: food is designed to avoid producing crumbs and served in pouches or bowls with an X cut out of the film on top to keep uneaten parts inside when scooped out, while beverages are served in pouches with straws, squeeze bottles, or cups and glasses that are filled by an injector in the bottom and use capillary action to wick liquid into the mouth. Spacecraft with thrust or spin gravity pack both types of food and dishware depending on the crew's preferences, with the caveat that everything can be rapidly stored in the event of loss of gravity. Clothing Clothing ranges from simple, utilitarian jumpsuits and work clothes to incredibly elaborate artistic wonders with built-in electronics. Clothing sold on low-gravity worlds like Luna is usually sized differently to account for the thin, long-limbed build of their natives. Clothing may have electronics wired in, using flexible batteries about the size of a postage stamp or ultra-thin plastic solar panels "painted" onto the surface. This includes artificial fibers that can change color or pattern at will or built-in watches, calculators, and tablet computers. Entertainment Virtually everyone carries a pad, a multi-use smart device that contains all of the functions of 21st century smartphones and tablets. This includes messaging, audio and video communication, System Internet access, games, writing and reading, apps with many different purposes (including ones restricted to government usage), a camera, and a flashlight. Most people are tied to their pad almost as an extension of themselves and are using it constantly when not busy. The System Internet is the system-wide global communications network, transmitted through both wireless signals and hardline across the solar system. Wireless connectivity is available almost anywhere on a station or planet, though terminals inside structures are often connected to the local net through fiber optic cables for better reliability. The number of websites in existence is estimated at over 8 billion, though most users in practice access the same two dozen news, entertainment, and social media sites in their regular life. Movies, streaming series, video games, and books (usually read electronically instead of on paper, due to the expense of real paper not made of plastic off Earth) are joined by a variety of interactive entertainment, such as immersive theatre that encourages guests to roleplay in a detailed environment. Because signals can only travel at light speed, multiplayer gaming on a real time scale is only practical on the same planet or station; it takes slightly more than 1 second for a signal to go between Earth and Luna, while it can take up to 3 minutes for a signal between Earth and Mars. Further out, it can take 30 to 60 minutes; this lag affects standard messaging as well. Classic instruments like guitars and drums are still in use, albeit usually made entirely of synthetic materials and metal due to the cost of wood; vintage 21st century wooden instruments are fantastically expensive and usually only seen in museums or the hands of collectors and the wealthiest rock stars. Synthesizers commonly feature built-in recording and mixing capability, including the ability to record and manipulate other sounds that they hear. Economy The system-wide trade medium of humanity is the System Bill (SB), usually simply referred to as "bills". Old currency like dollars and yen exist in cash but are generally only used for small local transactions by individuals who rarely or never leave their planet or station. Bills are legal tender among all of humanity and serve as the main form of currency that anyone involved in interplanetary commerce and entertainment uses. In most of the solar system, transactions are entirely electronic and conducted through pad transfers. Because the signals to update banking information can only travel at light speed, it can take several minutes to several hours for the System Internet to update account information; hackers have been known to attempt to take advantage of his lag for manipulating accounts. Hard currency for System Bills exist, but are rarely used due to the inconvenience. Physical value is more commonly seen in the form of intrinsically valuable items, such as bullion or trade goods. Because Pluto is highly isolated and even electronic messages can take up to 4 hours to arrive, the economy among the small population is almost entirely localized. Plastic poker chips are used as a medium of exchange among the colonists, along with a general system of bartering and favors. Because not all colonies and space stations are able to produce all types of goods, interplanetary trade flows non-stop. Dawn, Dusk, and Earth provide some of the most valuable products due to their extensive farmland and wealth compared to other colonies, including "real" alcoholic beverages and chocolate rather than imitations. "Real" meat and dairy produced from live animals is a very valuable delicacy, but ethically controversial in the age of vat-grown cloned meat.